Top Five Sophomore Director Films
It's difficult for lightning to strike on the first try, but it's even more astounding when a director can make their second film their best. Every successful filmmaker fears the sophomore slump, when their first film becomes a hit and the expectations are through the roof against them. And yet, some manage to recapture the magic that made them stars and get lightning to strike twice. It appears Jordan Peele intends to join those ranks, with his horror follow-up Us to his Oscar-winning film Get Out already achieving a level of acclaim from critics. In honor of Jordan Peele, it's time to celebrate the best sophomore films of directors. A key focus of this list will go to filmmakers who not only delivered a good second film, but when that film is following an already successful hit. 5. Michael Cimino - The Deer Hunter (1978) Having just made Jeff Bridges a star by giving the actor his inaugural Academy Award nomination alongside one of Clint Eastwood's personal favorite performances in Thunderbolt and Lightfoot, Michael Cimino pulled a total 180 from his lighthearted, beloved road comedy by tackling the Vietnam War. Cimino was one of the first filmmakers to truly tackle the war, garnering Oscar-nominated performances from Meryl Streep (her first of the record-making 21), Robert De Niro, and the Academy Award Best Supporting Actor winner of that year Christopher Walken. The Deer Hunter is psychological torture upon the viewer as they're thrown into the same ringer De Niro and Walker get put into, and Michael Cimino delivered astoundingly in his second time behind the camera that resulted in his winning Best Picture and Best Director. Best Scene: Russian Roulette 4. Ben Affleck - The Town (2010) After redeeming himself from a series of career misfires with his directorial debut Gone Baby Gone, Ben Affleck truly showed his eye for intense action and powerful, character driven tension with his follow-up The Town. Deciding to act in this film as well as direct and write, Affleck's decision to truly helm the film himself never comes across as self praising as he tightly weaves together an engaging, thrilling heist film. He delivers one of his best performances, while also guiding Jeremy Renner to his second Academy Award nomination and earning his film a coveted spot on the National Board of Review's top ten of the year as well as a nomination from the Producers Guild. Best Scene: A Favor 3. Ryan Coogler - Creed (2015) Recently graduated from film school and successfully creating the independent hit Fruitvale Station, Ryan Coogler was given the reins of the Rocky franchise and its spin-off Creed, one of the most coveted and beloved film properties of all time. Re-teaming with several of his last film's collaborators including Michael B. Jordan, composer Ludwig Goransson, and editing duo Claudia Castello and Michael Shawver, Coogler took the massive expectations against him and miraculously managed to not just meet them but arguably surpass them. Creed is an invigorating adrenaline rush that features career-making performances from Jordan and Tessa Thompson, while Sylvester Stallone gives his career best as the iconic boxer, all three guided under the steady but unrelenting drive of Ryan Coogler. Best Scene: Training Montage 2. Mike Nichols - The Graduate (1967) How does one follow up Who's Afraid Virginia Wolf, an astounding directorial debut that achieved a record 13 Academy Award nomination with 5 wins and serves as an adaptation Edward Albee's Tony Award-winning play? Mike Nichols decided to create The Graduate, one of the most important and influential films of the modern era of film. Introducing the world to the now legendary performer Dustin Hoffman, as well as bringing up sex and adultery in film unseen before and unchangeable after, as well as effortlessly infusing drama and comedy in a way that has echoed for sixty years without losing a step, Mike Nichols created a historic achievement and film even outside its critical reception. A reception, of course, that included five Academy Award nominations including Nichols' only win as director, and a place on the AFI's Top Ten Films of All-Time in 1998. If that's not getting over the sophomore slump, there is little else that can be. Best Scene: "Mrs. Robinson, I think you're trying to seduce me..." Honorable Mentions *Ridley Scott - Alien *Damien Chazelle - Whiplash *Barry Jenkins - Moonlight *James Cameron - The Terminator *Martin Scorsese - Mean Streets 1. Quentin Tarantino - Pulp Fiction (1994) Every film buff's first favorite film, Quentin Tarantino's 1994 modern classic Pulp Fiction is the template for sophomore films and it is a deserved spot for it. Tarantino's debut Resevoir Dogs already showed his sharp cinematic eye, laser focused writing hand, and flair for the sensational, but Tarantino takes those traits and doubles down with his creation in Pulp Fiction. A film that is layered with the cinephile's greatest loves and affections for the art, combined with a fantastic ensemble and of course electric script, Tarantino explodes from promising new artist to bonafide superstar, turning the sophomore slump into the mountain that Quentin Tarantino now firmly stands upon. Best Scene: Jules at the Diner Category:Top Five